Saudi Arabia’s foreign minister has said the kingdom is “serious” about talks with Iran, signalling Riyadh’s desire to repair relations between two rivals that accuse each other of stoking tensions and instability across the Middle East.
A Saudi official added that Riyadh was considering allowing Iran to reopen its consulate in the port city of Jeddah but said the talks had not made sufficient progress to restore full diplomatic relations, something Iran has been pushing for. The kingdom has held four rounds of talks with Iran since April, including a first meeting last month with the government of new hardline president Ebrahim Raisi. The negotiations reflect a tentative de-escalation in the region in the wake of the election of US president Joe Biden and with the economic hardship wrought by the pandemic.
In a rare interview, Prince Faisal bin Farhan al-Saud, the Saudi foreign minister, told the Financial Times that the talks with Iran had been “cordial”, while describing the negotiations as “exploratory”.